Hurricaine
by CSIMiamiLove
Summary: As Horatio and Calleigh prepare to be wed, they find their love thrown headfirst into the winds of mother nature. Sequel to Breaking Point
1. Chapter 1

**Hurricaine**

******A/N: Readers, I give you the sequel to Breaking Point. I truly hope you enjoy!**

Calleigh closed her eyes and allowed herself a smile as she felt her lover's soft lips brush against the top of her head. She welcomed the warmth of his bare chest against her back as she lay back in his gentle arms.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Cal sighed. Horatio chucked lightly and pulled her closer.

"Have I?" He whispered as he softly kissed the smooth skin on her neck.

"Mm, I don't think you need to use words, Handsome."

As he laid one last tantalizing kiss on her neck, he pulled back and spoke directly from his heart.

"Sweetheart, life hasn't always treated me the best. I came so close to giving up so many times. But I'm glad I didn't. I really am. Thank you for giving me a second chance at love."

The warmth and love conveyed in his voice melted her heart, and she felt herself go weightless as Horatio captured her lips in a sensitive and passionate rendezvous. In just a couple of weeks, she would walk down the aisle and be wed to the man of her dreams, and she would do so knowing that they loved each other enough to last a lifetime and then some.

Horatio rested his forehead on her own and attempted to catch his breath, and as he did, he allowed himself only a few words before continuing his loving ministrations.

"God, I love you."

The redhead's lips crashed down onto her own, and as he directed his movements down the length of her neck, it appeared that their passion-filled night was far from over.

* * *

Horatio adjusted his shirt in the bathroom mirror and smirked as Calleigh snuck in a light peck on his cheek. She stood by his side and finished applying her makeup as he slid on his onyx black jacket.

"Ready, sweetheart?" he questioned while walking out of the bathroom. They both detoured and headed for Austin and Patty's rooms, and carefully said their goodbyes before leaving for the day.

Calleigh ran a hand through her son's curly hair and softly kissed him on the forehead. Horatio couldn't help but smile warmly as she whispered her "I love yous" into the young child's ear.

Once she stood back, the redhead knelt by Austin's bedside and gave his shoulder a loving squeeze.

"Be good for papa Kenwall, okay buddy? I love you." His voice penetrated the silence of the room and he rested a soft kiss on the top of the young man's head. He rose from his spot and together, they quietly left Austin to rest and walked across the hall to Patty's bedroom.

The redhead smiled sweetly at the little girl that he'd grown to love and once again, got down on one knee and whispered in a hushed tone.

"You be a good girl for papa today, alright? I love you sweetheart."

Nearby, Calleigh watched as the man of her dreams lay a caring kiss on Patty's relaxed forehead. After working with him for nearly eleven years, she'd grown to love the calm and caring way he treated children. She knew that the man himself had a less than stable childhood and she admired his ability to relate to young victims, and now, his own children.

She knelt at the sleeping child's side and said her own goodbyes, longing to stay home with the kids just for a day. No matter how much she wanted to, she knew that she couldn't. Criminals didn't take breaks, and neither did the investigators.

Horatio ventured into the kitchen for the keys to his car as Calleigh answered the door for her father. Kenwall Duquesne stepped inside and hugged his daughter, then greeted the redhead with a fatherly pat on the back.

"Austin has his family tree project for class to finish and Patty has a page of math. Lunch is in the fridge. Thanks again, dad."

"No problem, lambchop. You two better head off, you'll be late," Duke charmed. The couple left with the promise to be home early and as they headed out the door, they couldn't help but notice the inherent strength of the wind and humidity.

* * *

Horatio and Calleigh conversed lightly as they rode up in the elevator. However, once the doors slid open, they were silenced by the absolute chaos that greeted them. A mixture of night and day shift investigators jumped from lab to lab, moving boxes and envelopes of evidence of varying size.

The arrival of his two commanders did not go unnoticed by Eric Delko, and he ran at full speed to brief them.

"H, Calleigh, we gotta move," he huffed. The redhead and his second in command exchanged worried glances and Horatio questioned his brother seriously.

"Eric, what's going on?" The muscles in the Lieutenant's face were stiff with slight fear, and the two officers felt their hearts skip a beat once their best friend and colleague continued.

"Hurricane Emanuel's about to make landfall."

* * *

As soon as the words escaped from the Cuban CSI's mouth, Horatio threw himself into gear and began giving out orders to secure evidence and contain all lab personnel to MDPD.

Hurricane Emanuel had been mentioned in weather reports days ago, and wasn't expected to make landfall for almost an entire week. No matter the prematurity of the storm, Horatio refused to be distracted from the duties at hand.

"I want the central skylight in the waiting corridor closed off and all evidence in lockup secured. All uniforms keep radio channels clear for rescue and further command."

He dismissed the mix of patrol officers and detectives and caught up with a very frantic blonde Ballistics expert a moment later. Her cell phone was at her ear, and as he approached, her worried expression melted away.

"My dad's taking the kids to a shelter in Hialeah Gardens."

The stress and concern were evident in her hushed tone in spite of her father's immediate action, and the steely cobalt of his eyes softened as he tried to comfort her.

"Everything's going to be just fine, okay sweetheart? We're all going to be just fine."

The redhead rested a hand on her shoulder, and as the relenting hiss of the winds grew stronger, Horatio found himself stricken with worries of his own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The brakes of his Hummer squealed to a halt as Horatio jumped from the large response vehicle and into the torrential rain and wind. The storm was attacking with a vengeance, making movement of any kind difficult as he tried to find traction between his feet and the slick pavement.

"Ma'am! I need you to stay put and hold on!" The redhead yelled over the roar of the heavy winds as he struggled to aid the fleeing woman.

"Oh God, please help! My husband and son already made it to the shelter!" He finally made it to the panicked brunette and hastily guided her to an approaching patrol car. With every passing minute, the intensity of Emanuel grew, making the window of opportunity to evacuate slimmer and slimmer.

"Get her to the inland shelter in Hialeah Gardens as fast and safely as you can, do you hear me? Go!"

"Lieutenant, you need to find shelter! Dispatch has all warnings on repeat!" The uniform shouted out of concern for his superior's safety as they both became soaked to the bone.

"I don't want you to worry about me right now! Get inland and take cover!"

With an understanding nod, the young officer rolled up his window and sped off, nervously glancing in his rear view mirror at the redheaded Lieutenant fighting to reach his Hummer. Radio reception was in and out at best, and as Officer Ramirez and his passenger attempted to outrun the storm, they heard the crackle of radio static as dispatch came through the channel.

"Repeat to all units, Hurricane Emanuel has officially made landfall. All officers exercise safety precautions and take shelter immediately."

* * *

The clang of the gun vault in the firearms lab resonated in the ears of the large group of investigators and lab techs seeking shelter. As the final window was boarded, the storm readily unleashed its fury on the crime lab and the areas surrounding it. At a loss, the remaining investigators who had not evacuated were ushered into firearms as the raging hiss of water and wind made itself known.

Calleigh stood with the group with her eyes closed tightly. She could barely hear her own silent prayers as she begged God to watch over everyone being affected. The storm had since knocked out the power and deprived them of silence as the sound of raging gusts made it impossible to hear.

Not a single thing was visible in the cover of pure darkness. The Bullet Girl was forced to rely on instinct in terms of the presence of her fiancé and though she could not see or hear him, she assured herself that he more than likely made it in.

By the time the worst of the storm had passed, it had already been three hours since initial landfall. The silence that had descended on them was shattered by the sharp ringing of a cell phone, and Eric's voice permeated the small space.

"That was dispatch. The area's clear and they want all available officers set for rescue and recovery within the hour."

Slowly, the lab personnel crept into the expanse of the halls and the crunch of glass echoed from under their feet. A solid amount of reinforced windows were still perfectly intact, while a handful of the massive sheets were non-existent. Water dripped in several spots from the ceiling and the remnants of Emanuel aided in drenching the areas around the damaged windows with rainwater.

Palm leaves and debris littered the halls and everyone sidestepped cautiously to prevent from slipping and falling.

"Thank God we secured evidence." Natalia spoke quietly. Calleigh nodded and turned around in search of their superior. Her eyes searched the group before her, and her head darted back and forth hastily.

"Oh my God," she huffed. "Where's Horatio?"

* * *

A handful of uniforms scattered MDPD in search of the redheaded Lieutenant, searching everywhere from utility closets, to bathrooms. Meanwhile, the team huddled around a hysterical Calleigh Duquesne in the MDPD bullpen. Natalia knelt by her side as she sobbed uncontrollably, Horatio's name spilling from her lips in a desperate cry every few seconds.

"He...he's not answering his phone," she choked. Cal feared the worst, and continued to cry as Natalia held her close. A group of forlorn uniforms appeared, and she jumped to her feet demanding to know if they had found any sign of Horatio.

"We've searched everywhere, CSI Duquesne. He's nowhere to be found." Though fear gripped her heart like a vice, Calleigh knew that she had to take control for the sake of her lover and leader.

"Have we been able to contact him by radio?" She questioned through her tears. The officer shook his head, and she took in a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure.

"Let's put out a broadcast and set up search and rescue immediately. We're going to suit up and cover the ground. Put a chopper in the air and keep a channel open for search and rescue operations."

"CSI Duquesne, resources are worn thin and manpower is limit-" The uniform didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Calleigh jumped up from her seat.

"Excuse me?" The room went silent as her words sliced the tension surrounding them.

"Do you see the badge on my waist? How about theirs?" The team stood close and faced the officers, forlorn expressions marring their faces.

"When we took an oath and accepted these badges, we not only swore to protect the citizens of Miami, but we swore to protect each other. And right now, an officer is missing and you're questioning if we should make an attempt to find him?"

"I said it once and I'm going to say it again. I want a broadcast put out, a chopper in the air, and a search and rescue operation started. And while you're at it, why don't you take a look at what's pinned to your chest and remember why it's there."

The officer was pale in the face with embarrassment as he nodded and walked away, immediately following orders as he spoke into his shoulder radio. Calleigh stood silent for a moment before taking a much-needed deep breath and walked out of the bullpen. Eric ran from A/V and stopped in front of her and the group to update them on his findings.

"We got the servers back up and tried to track the GPS on H's Hummer. Nothing." Delko was visibly frustrated as he awaited further instruction from the Bullet Girl.

"Let's pull the Hummers from the garage and suit up. We'll split up and cover a half-mile mile zone around the lab per search and rescue team. He couldn't have gone far," she spoke commandingly.

Ten minutes later, the group stood in the parking garage, albeit a waterlogged one. Minimal damage had been done to the response vehicles housed there and their tank-like Hummer H2's sported nothing more than soaked debris and stray palm leaves.

Eric, Calleigh, Ryan, Natalia, Walter and Frank slid on MDPD jumpsuits and clipped on shoulder radios as Calleigh handed them out. They made sure that each vehicle had its own share of tools, ranging from high-powered flashlights, to emergency heating blankets, water, and fully stocked tool kits.

"Eric, you're with me. Ryan, you're with Natalia, and Frank, you're with Walter. Our search is going to cover the neighborhoods surrounding the lab. We'll cover a half-mile per team and work our way out. The chopper's going to cover the entire expanse of our search grid and alert us of anyone in need of assistance."

"Keep in mind that we're looking for Horatio, and anyone who needs help. If you find anything, call it in to me. Let's get out there and help, guys."

* * *

Eric and Calleigh had split up since getting out of the Hummer and now, they both searched areas surrounding evacuated homes. The chopper buzzed overhead while a handful of emergency vehicles dispersed on the street. A small family had already been pulled from a house and transported to Grace Memorial for minor injuries.

"Miami Dade Police! Anybody in here?" Eric's voice echoed through the empty condo and he flashed his light past the foyer and into the desolate living area. He nearly dropped his flashlight as a high-pitched whimper pierced the silent air.

He weaved through the home, mindful of the water damage and vast amounts of shattered glass dotting the floors. Delko caught sight of a partially open closet door and carefully eased it open. As the small space became illuminated, he crouched and smiled.

"Hey there boy, what are you doing here?" He spoke to the young German Shepherd and chuckled lightly as it whined curiously and licked his hand. The dog trotted out of the closet and stared up at the Cuban CSI, waiting to see what he would do.

"Hey Calleigh, I just found a dog. He doesn't have any tags. I'm going to put him in the Hummer and get back to it," he spoke into his radio. She radioed back and confirmed, and he readily picked up the panting animal and headed toward the large response vehicle.

Eric opened the passenger door and sat the young dog on the seat. Suddenly, he turned his head and hopped down to the floor of the Hummer. Delko watched, intrigued yet confused by his sudden movements. The Shepherd pawed at the folded material poking out from underneath the seat and sniffed it cautiously.

Just as he deciphered the dog's actions, the canine jumped from the truck and ran, barking as he did so. The Cuban CSI made a note of the direction in which he ran, and snatched up the material from the passenger floor. The faded permanent marker on the inner portion of the collar registered in his mind, and he bolted from where he stood.

**TBC**


End file.
